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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com